Resurrection
by snail
Summary: I have NO idea where this story is going. It's a couple of years after Ultimecia's defeat, everyone's relaxed but Squall's been acting a little strange and a strange girl has enrolled at Balamb, resembling Ultimecia slightly. Yaoi, maybe.


- Resurrection -  
  
Chapter 1#  
  
In a cafeteria on a Tuesday afternoon, one guy and three girls kill the last few minutes before class playing Triple Trad. Between bites of the infamous Balamb hotdogs and sips of caffeine-riddled Coke they take cards stamped with Grat's and Fastitocalon-F's and slap them down in the centre of the table. The tallest member of the quartet shifts a Malboro cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other, when a tall, slinky man approaches the table.  
  
"Hey," says the -nearly- 18-year old Irvine Kinneas, a knee-buckling smile striking across his face. "Whatcha doin'?" Malboro-man eyes him.  
  
"What's it look like, cowboy?" he asks, his words muffled slightly by the cigarette. Irvine rolled his eyes.  
  
"I know what it looks like, Almasy. I'm not an idiot." Seifer sighs and pulls himself up from his slumped position.  
  
"Whaddya want?" The ex-knight grumbled, pulling the cig away from his lips. Pulling a wad of slightly crumpled mission files from the pocket of his chaps, Irvine drops them in the middle of the circle.  
  
"Good luck." The iris-eyed man told them with a mocking smile. Across the room, a group of Garden cadets are holding a different but equally enlightening discussion.  
  
"Caterchipillar is easier than a Grat." Says a brunette.  
  
"I've never fought a Grat." Admits a blonde.  
  
"Dude!" Blurts the brunette "What the hell!?"  
  
"I have seen someone else fight one though." the blonde counters, then a red-head buts in.  
  
"Big deal." The red-head scoffs "My brother downed a Buel in one go."  
  
"Really? One go?" marvels the blonde.  
  
"Yeah, with his blessed sword." The red-head boasts "It's a family relic, I get it if anything happens to Jacques."  
  
Hiding in the darkened corner of the far end of the cafeteria, a lone person listens and stares at her fellow cadets. Ever since she had arrived at Garden, she kept her mouth shut tight. A few had attempted to strike up a conversation with the girl, but it proved ineffective as her mouth stayed closed. Occasionally, -we're talking seldom- in the past 3 months she has been here, she would answer a typical question but the response only consisted of one or two words. The girl looked up slightly at the group directly opposite her.  
  
"Irvy!" exclaimed one of the girls, jumping to her feet and pulling the cowboy down onto the hard cafeteria seat. "Come play."  
  
"Who's winning?" He asked, eyeing the cards on the table.  
  
"I am," muffled Seifer, the cigarette bobbing slightly on his lips, smoke drifting from the end. Irvine rolled his eyes and slumped back.  
  
"Should have known."  
  
"SEIFER. WIN, ALWAYS." The silver-haired woman complained as she threw her cards up in frustration and slumped back, crossing her arms and pouting. The blonde laughed, slamming another card down then turning to the elegant Quistis.  
  
"Instructor?" He asked, a look of confidence on his face. The woman frowned and lay her cards out.  
  
"I'm gone." She mumbled disappointed. Seifer smiled. Irvine turned to the small woman, who was clinging onto his arm in a fashion that was slightly irritating, but comforting.  
  
"How long were you in the game for, Sephy?" He asked. She pouted a little.  
  
"Long enough." She told him. He rose an eyebrow.  
  
"Try 30." Seifer said plainly.  
  
"Minutes?"  
  
"No, seconds." Almasy looked at the woman "Beaten by a Thrustaevis, seriously short-stuff... WHAT were you thinking?" he asked in a sardonic tone. She glared at him.  
  
"Shuddup, Knight boy." Seifer reared slightly, obviously patronizing the poor woman.  
  
"That hurt. ow." She rolled her eyes.  
  
"You're such an arsehole sometimes, I don't know what Squally sees in you."  
  
"Neither do I." The blonde admits honestly "But there's something there." Seifer frowns at the papers, as he takes the Malboro from his mouth and crushes it on the floor. "These from Cid, or Squall?" He asks, picking them up.  
  
"Cid." Irvine answers, tilting his hat back. "I don't know where Squall is at the moment."  
  
"He said he had to go to Balamb today." Seifer muttered, skimming the pages. "He said he'd be back later this morning. Don't know why he isn't back yet." Irvine's head tilted from side to side.  
  
"He deserves some time off." He said.  
  
"Damn straight." Seifer mumbled, looking up from the papers. "Cid is practically killing his best warrior."  
  
"I have noticed that Squall has become very fatigued." Quistis recalled, pushing her thin wire glasses back up her nose. "Has he been sleeping well?" She asked.  
  
"I don't think he knows what sleeping is." Seifer muttered under his breath. Quistis sighed and threw her hands up in the air.  
  
"His definition of sleeping; working to the early morning hours, continued by trailing after Cid's feet, before more paperwork." Irvine said, snatching one of the sheets of paper from the blonde's hand. Seifer looked up at him.  
  
"Pretty much." He sighed and stared out the window. "I don't like the look of those clouds." He stated. Selphie stared out, her attention somewhere else.  
  
"Anyway," Quistis began "What about this mission?" She asked. Seifer frowned at the words.  
  
"Penetration of security mainframe positioned in the clandestine base of the covert island of Esthar (Party A), requires under jurisdiction of the Balamb Garden mercenary military organization, known solely as 'SeeD' three ranked officers of that particular association (Party B), on a matter of situating a person and/or persons unspecified at current time (Party C)." Seifer took a breath. "What the fark?"  
  
"ENGLISH."  
  
"Three SeeD's. namely us, have to track down someone of great importance for Esthar." Irvine translated. Selphie frowned.  
  
"Just 3?" She asked surprised. "And for Esthar? I would have thought they could deal with something like that." She thought aloud.  
  
"Evidently not." Seifer mumbled. "Who does Cid want?"  
  
"He's issued Squall with the mission." Irvine said. "Squall can take two compatriots, most probably Quistis and you," he said looking at Seifer "Since he's closest to you two." Almasy frowned. "The mission is supposably hush-hush, but when word gets around that Squall the Ultimecia-defeater has a mission your little Trepie Groupie nerds are gunna hack into the Garden system to find out about it." Irvine grumbled at Quistis. Selphie frowned, then shrugged.  
  
"Whatever." She chirped, sounding like a highly ecstatic Squall. "Doesn't concern me, so I'm gunna go find Zelly-welly." And with that she skipped out of the room, and down the hallway. Irvine watched her leave. Seifer shuddered.  
  
"Zell. Ew." He made a disgusted face. Irvine chuckled once, smirking slightly.  
  
"He's not that bad." Irvine said, defending his friend. "he does have some good points." Seifer eyed him.  
  
"Like?" Irvine thought for a few minutes, "well?"  
  
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" After a while Irvine shrugged "When I find some, I'll tell you." Seifer laughed quietly, shaking his head as he packed up his Triple Trad cards and shoved them into his jacket pocket.  
  
"Where've you been all morning?" The blonde asked. Irvine smiled.  
  
"Never you mind."  
  
"Visiting whatshisname.?"  
  
"CHRISTOPH" Fujin said, her eye softening at the mention of the name.  
  
"Okay, yes." Irvine muttered. "But we have so much in common, and you should see the size of his--"  
  
"Uh, I'm just gunna--" Quistis jumped up and hurried out of the room. Irvine smirked, watching the blonde woman rush out.  
  
"So." he began, "What happened to Raijin? He asked. "I haven't seen him around recently," he looked at Fujin "And it's been awfully quiet" she scowled at him, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Went to see his cousin." he frowned, then turned to Fujin "What's her name?"  
  
"ALIA" Seifer nodded,  
  
"That's right, she's gettin' transferred here. He's helping her move." Irvine nodded.  
  
"Didn't know he had a cousin."  
  
"Everyone's got cousins, dufus." Seifer grumbled, leaning back and crossing his arms.  
  
"I meant. oh forget it." The cowboy sighed, "So how's Squall now-a-days? I haven't seen him around." Something caught Seifer's gaze.  
  
"He's alright, a little distant at times. always working, but overall he's okay I suppose." Seifer frowned, then narrowed his eyes. Irvine looked at him  
  
"What is it?" He asked. Seifer was still gazing at something, his stare didn't shift.  
  
"See that girl over there.?" He told Irvine. The cowboy turned and looked at the girl opposite them. "She's the splitting image of Ultimecia, I swear." 


End file.
